July 11 2013

5:28 PM

Remember Adams Golf's Tight Lies fairway woods? Most golfers
who were playing the game in the late 1990s probably do. Originally introduced
in 1996 by founder Barney Adams, Tight Lies became an overnight sensation due
to its low profile, low center of gravity and upside-down head design.

At a time when golfers were having trouble getting the ball
in the air with a fairway wood, Tight Lies filled a necessary void in the
marketplace with a club that allowed golfers to get the ball airborne from
180-220 yards to the green.

While the original Tight Lies has long since been replaced
by fairway woods with deeper, and hotter, faces, Adams Golf believes its updated
version of Tight Lies, set to hit retail shelves on August 15, cannot only
contend with the longest fairway woods on the market — it will also be easier
to hit off the ground.

"Fairway woods are definitely longer than they were
when Tight Lies first came out," said Mike Fox, Adams'
director of global product marketing. "But if you look at the super-deep
faces on today's fairway woods, we've seen most players use them predominately
off the tee and rarely off the deck. We believe Tight Lies can fill that
void."

According to Fox, the new 42 1/2-inch Tight Lies fairway
wood retained the same low-profile shape and low center of gravity that made
the original so popular. The face height of the head measures out to 1.18
inches from leading edge to the crown, which is 20 percent shorter than today's
fairway woods.

At 133 cubic centimeters, the updated Tight Lies head is
also 25 percent smaller than the average fairway wood.

With a lower profile and smaller head, Adams
needed to find a way to add some punch to Tight Lies. Enter two "velocity
slots" — one on the crown and another on the sole that are completely
unsupported and covered on the back by a grey polymer that flexes and acts like
a spring at impact.

"To give you an idea how important the velocity slot
is, Tight Lies has been in development for about six months. The slot has been
in development for about three years," Fox said. "Our new velocity
cut through slot is without question the most advanced slot that's ever been
created. Being able to create a complete cut through slot that's unsupported
allows you to get more energy behind the ball, which in turn gives you added
distance."

Unlike the original "velocity slots" design on the
Super S that went straight down under the crown to the sole, the updated slots
on Tight Lies slope down to the crown, making it 10 percent more effective at
impact.

The slot design gives Tight Lies a Characteristic time —
also know as CT, it's the term the USGA uses to describe a club's spring-like
effect — value of 220, which is double the original Tight Lies (110) and very
close to the USGA CT
limit at 237.

Aside from the slot technology, Fox noted that, like the
original, the new version of Tight Lies has a center of gravity that's lower
and back of center in the club head, thereby allowing the ball to get airborne
with ease.

When it comes out in mid-August, Tight Lies will have the
lowest center of gravity of any fairway wood on the market.

"This club is going to give players the best of both
worlds," Fox said. "You'll be able to get the ball in the air but
also have the necessary distance and spin to hit this club with confidence from
numerous lies — deep rough, sidehill, fairway. And with a 42 1/2-inch shaft
it's also that much more controllable."

Tight Lies will debut a 16-degree model on August 15 — Fox
said the company decided to bring the 16-degree to retail first because it was
the loft on the original Tight Lies — and roll out 14-, 19-, and 22-degree
versions in November. All of the retail versions will come with a stock
Mitsubishi Bassara shaft.

The company will also release a 14.5-degree Tight Lies Tour
version that has a slightly deeper face and produces a lower ball flight with
less spin. The Tour version comes with an Aldila Tour Blue shaft.

Although most would probably expect TOUR players to use the
Tight Lies Tour version, Kenny Perry and Tom Watson actually tested the retail
version last week at The Greenbrier Classic.

"Guys like Kenny Perry and Tom Watson want a club they
can get in the air," Fox said. "What it goes to show you is that TOUR
players see benefits in the retail version."

The retail version of Tight Lies will be available on August
15 in a 16-degree model for $199, with 14-, 19-, and 22-degree versions coming
out in November. Tight Lies Tour (14.5 degrees) will be available in mid-August
for $229.